‘Top Chef’ quinceañera, who’s that girl?

Blanca Flores was likely the most popular 15-year-old at Christian Academy of San Antonio yesterday.

Maybe this cake puts the Top Chef contestants cake to shame. Blanca Flores stands next to her cake at her actual quinceañera at the Emporium by Yarlen. COURTESY MARIA FLORES

It was her quinceañera featured in episode three of “Top Chef: Texas,” although it was not her actual quinceañera. That one was held a week later, and ironically, the menu didn’t include Mexican food, interior or otherwise.

Chef Johnny Hernandez, whose La Gloria restaurant features street foods of Mexico, said he spent about half an hour before the elimination challenge explaining to the chef-testants the significance of a quinceañera and the food.

Flores’ family is from Monterrey, Mexico, but they have lived in San Antonio for 13 years. It may have been her cooking skills that attracted her to the show.

“She likes to cook. Whenever she wants to do it, she looks it up on the computer and she does it,” her mother Maria Flores said by phone.

Flores is incredibly proud of her oldest daughter, who she says is her best friend.

“She’s lettering in school, made the honor roll,” Flores said, adding that her daughter is planning to attend a week-long camp at NASA this summer.

Blanca says she excels in science; it was her highest score on her pre-SAT, followed by math.

The sophomore spoke with me about the experience late Thursday via phone.

A: Because of Facebook. They did a promotion where if you wanted to be on an episode on Bravo to call them. They would send you a date and they would interview you. They were just seeing how I would react with the cameras and my family.

Q: Were you nervous on the show?

A: No, I was actually judging. Sometimes I’m picky with my food. When I didn’t like something I was like, “this is nasty.” I didn’t say it like that. I was describing how I felt about it. I was kind of nervous judging other people’s food because I didn’t want to sound like a jerk on TV.

Q: How did you feel seeing yourself on the show?

A: I was laughing at myself because I had a camera on me following me everywhere. There was a camera on the food and the judges, my family, friends, the audience. There was a camera everywhere.

Q: What was your favorite dish you tasted?

A: It was a squash soup.

Q: What was your least favorite?

A: I think it was the enchilada. It was too soggy. It was a flour tortilla. I was like, “I don’t think I’ve ever eaten one in a flour tortilla.”

Q: Did you have another quinceañera?

A: I had my actual party after the event. It was the following weekend after we filmed.